Isaac P. Gray

Isaac Gray

Isaac Pusey Gray (born October 18, 1828 in Chester County , Pennsylvania , †  February 14, 1895 in Mexico City , Mexico ) was an American politician and 1880/81 the 18th and from 1885 to 1889 the 20th  governor of the State of Indiana .

Early years

At a young age, Isaac Gray moved with his parents to Ohio , where he attended elementary school after further moves in different cities. In 1855 he moved to Indiana, where he settled in Union City . There he studied law. He was also a co-founder of a bank, which he later became president of. During the Civil War he was a colonel in command of a cavalry regiment with soldiers from Indiana. In 1866, Gray ran unsuccessfully for a seat in Congress . At that time he was still a member of the Republican Party ; later he switched to the Democrats . Between 1868 and 1872 he was a member of the Indiana Senate . In 1876 he was elected lieutenant governor of Indiana as a Democrat .

Indiana Governor

After the incumbent Governor James D. Williams died in October 1880, Gray fell to his post. He had to end the term of office of his predecessor first. So he was between November 20, 1880 and January 10, 1881 governor of Indiana. At this point in time, Albert Porter , the next governor to whom Gray handed over the office in January 1881, had already been elected. Gray succeeded in winning the next gubernatorial election in 1884 against Republican William H. Calkins . This enabled him to take up a four-year term on January 12, 1885. During his reign, the funds were used to renovate an orphanage for soldiers' children in Knightstown . A school for the mentally handicapped was also established in Fort Wayne . This time was also overshadowed by an event that went down in the history of Indiana as Black Day of the State Legislature. It began with Governor Gray declaring that he would be elected to the US Senate by the state legislature . This began a dispute between the two major parties, which escalated when the Democratic-ruled Indiana Senate denied the newly elected Lieutenant Governor Robert S. Roberston this office. A ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court did nothing to change that. When Robertson tried to enter the boardroom of the State Senate on February 24, 1887, there were violent arguments between Democrats and Republicans. Roberston was assaulted and gunshots were fired. The governor had to call the police to stop the riot. The result was a stalemate. The governor renounced his candidacy for the US Senate and Robertson could not take office. These events were one of the reasons why the 16th Amendment to the Constitution introduced direct election of US Senators. Acting lieutenant governor became Senate President Alonzo G. Smith .

After the end of his tenure, Gray retired from politics until 1893. That year he was named United States Ambassador to Mexico. In this capacity he served in Mexico City until his death in February 1895. Isaac Gray was married to Eliza Jaqua, with whom he had four children.

Web links

• Isaac Gray in the National Governors Association (English)
• Indiana Historical Bureau (English)
• Isaac P. Gray in the database of Find a Grave (English)